James Kelly gets suspended sentence for false 999 calls

This report is a localnews.ie summary based on public court reporting and records; sources are listed below.

James Kelly received a fully suspended three-and-a-half-year sentence for knowingly making false reports at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court on 17 February 2025. The proceedings were reported on 17 February 2025.

He pleaded guilty to six sample charges covering reports made between February 2021 and March 2023. Gardaí responded to each false report, including investigating Kelly’s claim that he had been the victim of an attempted armed robbery.

Judge Pauline Codd said the frequency of the calls warranted a five-year headline sentence. She suspended the three-and-a-half-year term in full, with conditions including one year of engagement with the Probation Service and engagement with addiction support services as directed by the Probation Service.

The judge also considered urine test results showing Kelly had tested negative for various illicit drugs and testimonials about his voluntary work at a local football club. The report noted that he had two previous convictions for possession of articles and one for a public order offence.